Meta, Diversity at Amazon, Inclusion Programs Before Trump | Donald Trump news

Conservative groups denounced the programs and threatened to sue companies over them.

Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Amazon, is scaling back diversity programs ahead of Republican Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency, amid growing conservative opposition to such initiatives.

Some of the largest companies in the United States have scaled back their diversity initiatives, after years of pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests following the police killing of George Floyd and other people. Black Americans in 2020.

Meta said in an internal memo to employees on Friday that it is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, including those for recruitment, training and supplier selection, the latest in a series of actions welcomed by governors.

In less than two weeks, he was dead Eliminated the fact-checking program in the United StatesIt promoted prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to chief global affairs officer and elected Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a close friend of Trump, to its board.

Amazon, in a December memo to employees seen by Reuters on Friday, said it was “reducing outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, with the goal of completing the process by the end of 2024.

“A sign of transformation”

Conservative groups denounced the programs and threatened to sue companies over them, encouraged by a 2023 US Supreme Court ruling that… Drop affirmative action In university admission decisions.

And just this week, Elon Musk and other Trump allies blamed DEI programs for obstructing the response to raging wildfires in Los Angeles, without evidence.

“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, said in the memo seen by Reuters and originally reported by Axios.

Gale cited recent Supreme Court decisions that “signal a shift” in how U.S. courts will approach DEI programs in the future.

“The term DEI has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that indicates preferential treatment of some groups over others,” she wrote.

In practical terms, this means Meta won’t have a team focused on diversity and inclusion, and the company said it will instead “focus on how we apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for everyone, no matter your background.”

The company will also end its “diversity approach” to hiring, a strategy that includes candidates from a diverse pool being considered for each open position.

One employee commented on Gale’s memo calling it “disturbing to read.”

Other companies that have recently ended DEI programs include McDonald’s, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment manufacturer John Deere.